Faded From Memory
by Sora G. Strife
Summary: Just KH in FFVII setting, with my style in it. Another world. Another man. All faded from memory. How will Aerith and Sora deal with all of this? CxA SoKai Currently mature because of huge amounts of bloodshed. Eight years after AC, at least at the start.
1. Prologue of a Journal

Faded from Memory

Faded from Memory

Prologue: Life from Death

_Dear Diary,_

_This is my first entry into this diary, and so to anyone who might read this, my name is Sora Strife. Today, I met the man named Cloud Strife. My mother told me to get adopted by this man as his son. …That's funny… I don't remember anything at all about her. My memories of her are like a void. I can't remember anything about her!_

_Wait, it's coming back to me. Of course she's dead, she could have taken care of me if she were still alive. I remember her voice. It's like it can call a heavenly host to do her bidding. Not a lot of people have that kind of voice, now, do they? I can't remember anything else.__ Nothing. It's also odd that I just popped up near the Seventh Heaven. The door opened and then a guy with blonde, spiky hair approached me. I would later know him as Cloud. Just one look into my eyes and then he lets me in._

_I'm at the Seventh Heaven in Edge right now. He lives here, along with some other people from the former group AVALANCHE. Uncle Barret "lives" here, but he's barely here, he can hardly take care of his own daughter, because he's working in an oil field. His daughter's name is Marlene, and she's around __nine years older than me. For some reason, she kinda reminds me of Mom. Denzel is around the same age as her, and the two of them like to be together sometimes. Vincent is this guy that sleeps in the basement and he's really creepy. His roommate is Shelke, a girl a lot older than me, but there's something wrong with her body. She looks like she's nine, she needs a daily dose of mako to sustain herself, and she's really, really, really nice to me. Denzel and Marlene share their room with me. Of course, aside from the people I just mentioned, there's Tifa, owner of the Seventh Heaven. She's the bartender, sorta a mother to us all, and practically takes care of everybody. Then there's Cloud. He seems to know me, and somehow, I know him. There! Now I know why Mom made me get adopted by this man. I know for one thing that she loves him, even from beyond the grave. I just sense her love for this guy, and I don't know how, I don't know why, but I sense it there. I just know it. The guy who handled our legal papers for my adoption is Reeve. He visited and explained the entire process, and then poof! I'm Cloud's legal son right there._

_Dear Diary,_

_Today there was an alert that Edge was going to be attacked by a lot of strong monsters, so everyone at Seventh Heaven got ready to fight them. Only I wasn't allowed to go, because I was too young. So I snuck out anyway. They were having a bit of trouble, but in any case I went out there and totally showed them what I was gonna do. I think I must have killed three of them, which is great considering I was using a stick for a weapon, and until one of those Behemoths was going to swallow me up, I was doing just fine. Not a scratch on me. Then Riku, but I didn't know his name at the time shows up with a real sword and takes it down. That was incidentally the last one, and he just saved my life. We became best friends after that. But then a Tonberry shows up out of nowhere and impales me with that knife. I felt like I was dying, but suddenly it started to drizzle, and for some reason I was fully healed again. Riku had a wound, but he cast some magic on himself and then it went away. I never knew that you could use magic like that. Anyway, I'm writing this as a way of passing time while being grounded. No video games, no TV, no cellphone, just a lot of books that Dad said I might want to read. Alright, I'll read them now._

_My Mom… This is her life as Dad knew her, compiled into a book in his own handwriting…__ How is that possible? I…_

_Dear Diary,_

_I turned thirteen today. We went to a lot of places, like the Gold Saucer, and other places like that. We went to Mom's grave, and then to her church, all the while travelling on the recently deceased Cid's airship, the Shera. His son Cid II piloted it, and I had the time of my life, especially as I met _her_. Kairi. She word really weird armor on her: I mean, who wears full-body plate armor these days? It's clanky, and not a very good defense from a gun. She came out of the pool in Mother's church, and she held this rapier to Riku's throat when he approached. She was cautious of anyone who approached. Then she asked for Dad, and then they had a private talk which I couldn't hear anything of. Then Dad emerged with a smile on his face and Kairi unconscious on a bed. I can't sleep, that's why I'm writing this. Well, I'm tired now. Good night._

_By the way, my swordsmanship classes with Dad have been improving, but for some reason I can't cast a single spell yet._

_Dear Diary,_

_Kairi awoke today, but that's not as important as what I'm going to say. I don't believe it! Mom… is back? She just popped into the Seventh Heaven with Dad in tow and then greeted me like nothing happened. They say that they're going to get married next month. Isn't Mom supposed to be DEAD? I can't figure it out, and Mom and Dad won't tell me anything. At least I have Riku and Kairi with me, every step of the way. The three of us can't ever be separated._

_Dear Diary,_

_Today Mom and Dad got married. It's a very happy day for all of us._


	2. Chapter One: Of Immortality and Death

Author's Note: Nothing here belongs to me, except maybe the plot. Forgive me for not updating, but it was the week of the periodicals.

Chapter One: Of Immortality and Death

It was a bright, sunny day, as a wedding was taking place in the ruins of the Sector Five church. The only odd thing about this wedding is that unlike our world, this wedding is being led by a woman- the noblest woman to walk the world of Gaia. Even Cloud Strife, or as the newspapers called him, "Conqueror of Death," admits that all his achievements pale in comparison to hers.

Aerith Strife was on the steps before the altar, and the couple was standing on the bottom of a small pond with white and yellow flower petals settled neatly on top on its waters. The ceremonies were finishing, and everyone was anticipating something, in Sora's words, "really big."

"Then I, in the name of Minerva, pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Denzel took Marlene's hands into his own, lifted that veil, and kissed her, plain and simple as that. At the exact time that this happened, though, the water rushed out of the pool, and showered everyone inside the old church. A human figure, clad in white and golden armor, materialized after a shower of white sparks appeared right over Aerith.

"Sora, Kairi, Riku, Denzel, and Marlene."

The five of them wheeled around to face the figure taking off her helm. She was unnaturally beautiful, with those blonde locks always kept in place even though she moved around a lot while she was talking. Ornate, holy-looking symbols adorned her cloak and armor.

"My name is Minerva. I, the planet, Gaia, ask of you a favor." He voice echoed through the church and sounded like a celestial choir talking in unison.

"Yes, Ma'am?" chorused the five.

"The five of you, I have chosen to be my saviors. A failsafe, if you will. I have eradicated the last of the traces of the Calamity's traces from Genesis Rhapsodos, and from the world that I know of." She fluttered her hand in the air and snapped her fingers, and sparks burst out of it, showing a perfectly healthy Genesis standing beside a grave. Shelke, Sora and his father, with their mako-infused eyes, could just make out the markings on it: Weiss. Shelke gave a small gasp right there. "However, I am not so sure that every single one has been eradicated. The Calamity is the last threat to my existence, and ultimately yours. If ever Sephiroth's darkness or the Calamity come back, then I trust that you will not fail in eradicating the threat."

"Yes. You can trust us."

"Very well then. I hold you to your promise, Cloud and Aerith Strife. For my sake as well, keep that thing-" she edged away a little from Cloud "safe from the clutches of that disaster."

"We won't fail you, great Goddess." Minerva floated higher into the air and burst into a shower of sparks, joining the water, and the Lifestream.

The only sounds anyone in the church was the blowing of the wind, and their minds thinking about what had just happened for a long time. Then Cid's expression changed, and he opened his mouth to say, "What are we still doing here, ya #? We need to get going to the reception, now! I'm already old and got lung cancer, so let's make this worth my while, you #ers!"

After letting the truth sink in, everyone boarded the Shera. It took off, flying over the mountains, oceans, to the beautiful beach of Costa del Sol.

"Cloud! Did you actually rent the entire city for us?" Denzel said.

"Yes. Yes I did."

Aerith queried, "Where did you get the money?"

"Oh, those long years of travelling and killing monsters coming at me really do pay off. They hired me once to take out a Marlboro infestation."

"So that's why you came back home all stinky," Tifa grinned.

"Hey, I gotta do my job." Cloud's eyes scanned the sky, seemingly searching for memories inspired by it. "I got my drive back after Aerith came back. I guess waiting does have its benefits."

"Hey, you didn't wait, Cloud," Aerith said after taking in his words.

"So I didn't," he replied after a few moments.

Right there at the beach, Sora had picked up three wooden sticks.

"Hey, Kairi, Riku!"

"What is it, Sora?" Riku said, eager to get on with it.

"If we're gonna save the world along with Uncle Denzel and Aunt Marlene, shouldn't we know how to fight for ourselves first?"

"Well, duh, Sora!" Kairi said, drawing her sword, the Defender, out of its sheath. "Why do you think your father's been training me in secret ever since I got here? It does have a nasty green stain on it," referring to her sword.

"Come to think of it," Riku said, unsheathing his Souba, "I've been training with him ever since we met! He said to keep it a secret from you guys!"

"He said that to us too!" Sora and Kairi chorused.

"So, Sora, where's your sword?" Riku asked.

"It's nothing special like yours, though," unclipping it from his back harness. "Just your regular Shin-ra SOLDIER standard sword."

"Haha. Old Shin-ra army sword. Nobody uses those things anymore," Riku said. "I remember those old things. They're a drag to swing, they' to heavy for their size. You dad's swords put together are lighter than that thing!"

"Whatever," Kairi said, mumbling something as she stuck that sword in the ground. "Flare!"

A huge burst of fire exploded a foot away from Sora. If he hadn't dodged in time, he was sure to have been knocked unconscious from the pain. He spun to Riku's left and tried to slash at him with the sword, but Riku, with his skills, managed to dodge in time before Sora drew blood.

"Seems that we're all evenly matched," Riku said.

"Not quite," Kairi said. "Ultima!"

Sora's jaw dropped. "What the-"

A blue ray formed in the sky and hit with a spherical range between him and Riku. He jumped out of range as far as he could before it could hit. Oddly, the spell's range was very small, so nobody got hurt.

"Isn't Ultima supposed to destroy whole towns?" Riku asked, smirking as he slashed at Kairi. She blocked while chanting another spell and setting her sword on magical fire.

"I limit its power. I could have burned down the whole city if I didn't!" she answered back.

"Whatever," Riku said. "I dare the two of you to bring it on!"

"Oh yeah! Two on one!" Kairi said as she swished her blade to her front and lunged.

"My dear," Riku said as he twisted off the blade from her hands, "your swordsmanship skills suck."

"Oh really, now?" Sora said, hitting dead air as Riku dodged his blade.

"I have this to make up for it!" Kairi said, mumbling words under her breath. The sword flew back to her hand and slashed Riku's arm. A flow of blood flowed from a cut vein, the green stain seeming to wash into the wound.

"Oh no oh no oh no! Sorry Riku! Here," she said, murmuring under her breath again, "help me out, Sora!"

"Yes, yes, of course! My magic isn't that good, by the way," he said as he started chanting along as well.

"Curaga!" The wound healed faster than sand pouring out of an open palm.

"I guess I should take a break, though," Riku said, going to the inn.

"Okay," Sora replied. "I guess I will, too."

"Yeah, me too," Kairi said. They all went to the hotel.

Sora walked on nearer to his father, clipping the sword to his back again. _Wow, I tried to impress her. I could have tried to just do something else, but no, we had to wound Riku, of all things!_

"Hey, Sora! Why is your smile upside down?" Cloud asked.

"Like you wouldn't know."

"Hey, now. Yes, I saw you, Riku, and Kairi from here."

"But it's so far away! How can you even see us?"

"Hey, I'm your dad. I would know even if I couldn't see. I could also see that you were trying to confess to Kairi."

"How do you know about that?"

"I saw you. Your stance always leaned towards Riku. You always had your eyes on her. In a real battle, you should never get distracted. Now listen," he said as Sora was already walking away, "I can also tell that she likes you. Just get it over with, and don't wait for anything to happen. Do it yourself. You can never tell what can happen."

"Yeah, like with mom?"

"Like with mom," Cloud nodded and went to celebrate in the newlywed's reception again. "Who wants beer?"

"Thanks, Dad."

"Oh! Before I forget-" Cloud tossed Sora an apple. It was not any other apple, though. It was one of the old Banora apples, also known as dumbapples.

"Now, Sora, I only have one tree of that on my property on Banora, and that would be its first fruit."

"Wait, you never told me that we have a property at Banora," Aerith chimed into the conversation.

"I was going to surprise you for your birthday, but now…"

"Cloud, my birthday's exactly six months from today-"

"Not that one, my love," Cloud said as he kissed her.

"Oh," she whispered after they broke their moment of passion.

"Sora, I know you can do it. I myself must prepare for something."

"Whatever it is, you can do it, Dad."

"I hope so," he said, his eyes looking at the sky, very far away.

"First off," Sora said to himself as he walked away feeling refreshed, "is to get her an appropriate gift. Now what could I do?"

Sora passed several shops containing armor, flowers ("What worked for Dad may not work for me."), weapons, until finally, he stopped by Kairi's room. Her ancient-looking Defender was still there, albeit covered with Riku's blood.

"I know! I'll just give her a new sword then! It's too old and that green stain on it before won't come off. But first I need to find a guy who can forge."

"You don't really need to do that," Kairi said. "Let's take a walk outside, I need to give you something."

"No, no, maybe later. I need to hit the hay."

"If you say so. Why don't you take a nap here, then?"

"In your room?" Sora was about to back out when Kairi stood up and knocked him hard on the head with the flat of her sword.

It was already nightfall when Sora woke up.

"Owwwww. My head. Kairi, what did you do?"

Kairi woke up and said, "You pervert. If I didn't respect you, I would have slashed you instead of hit you with the flat of my sword."

"I didn't mean anything like that!"

"Does it matter now? Come with me."

Kairi led him outside to where a full moon was waiting, smiling at them. A log had washed up near the beach, and they chose to sit on it.

"So, we're alone now, huh."

"Yeah, Sora."

"Have a snack," he said, letting her have the apple. "I have to tell you something."

"But first, I need to give you this," she said as she untied her pendant. It was an obsidian black crown with silver lining around it.

"This? But this is your most precious belonging! You could never take it from yourself!"

"And so? I'm giving it to you," she said. Her smiled was illuminated by the moon's low glow, which made it even more happy and mysterious.

"Kairi, I need to tell you something."

"What would that be, my dear?" Sora loved it when she spoke like this. It sounded so unique and special. Then again, she was. Who could forget the fact that she came out of the Lifestream itself? Just like he did, in a time he had forgotten, his mother had told him. They were very special indeed.

"Kairi, I-"

"Oh," she said, as she saw Riku approaching them.

"Riku! What's with the new clothes? Dad never bought you those." Sora was still trying to hide his blush desperately.

Denzel paced across the metal room, safe though worried.

"Marlene, do you think Cloud'll come back?"

"I think he might. He said not to get out of this room until after the day ended. We might as well have had fun here."

"I sense something wrong happening."

Murmuring as she approached him, her cheeks visibly red even in the dim light of the moon, she said after she finished her spell, "What did you see?" lunging at him with her sword drawn.

Riku parried the blow with ease and stuck his sword in her gut like a hot knife through butter. She jerked and tried to pull it out, but Riku quickly cast a dark spell, dark energies flowing from his hands into her body. Her energy, her part of the lifestream, settled around Sora and entered his form.

"What did you do to her?" he said as he lunged at Riku, slashing at him like ten serpents striking multiple times at a single enemy.

Riku dodged, parried, and blocked all of them with ease. "She had to be eliminated, as Minerva's martial will. Come and join me. The Calamity should not be feared."

"Never!"

Cloud had run right towards Riku, with the sword aloft. He brought it down upon Riku, though it was blocked by the Souba's blades. Aerith was right behind her son, murmuring spells to help everyone.

"Haste! Regen! Wall!"

Everyone else was out by now, trying to subdue Riku. The sounds of guns shooting at him were only drowned out by the heavy blade in Cloud's hands, and the explosive magics flowing out of Aerith's hands.

"Sora, get out of here!" Aerith said. "We'll handle it from now!"

Riku rushed towards the aging pilot of the Shera, and cut his spear in three, following with a stab to his heart. Cid fell lifeless to the ground, still clutching the halves of his spear.

"You! I adopted you as my son!" Vincent screamed. He flashed the Cerberus from his holster and shot him as bright neon-like sticks flashed around Riku- to be expertly blocked, parried, and flung to the ground. Shelke had fallen never to rise again.

Riku vanished into the darkness and appeared right beside Vincent. A spurt of blood appeared at his chest, followed by the Souba's blades sticking out of the place his heart should be, making his cloak even darker with blood. Riku withdrew it and slashed a blue ball of light sent his way by Aerith.

"You're next, Ancient." He rushed toward her, cutting down a helpless Barret who stood in his way and a rather large shuriken sent his way from a helicopter.

"The Turks! What are you doing here?" Riku said, readying his stance in case anything else was sent his way. Sora struck at him, to be blocked and sent flying, unconscious to a palm tree.

"We came to help," Rufus Shinra said as he jumped to the ground from the helicopter. He was, of course, holding a rope to slow his descent on the way down. In his other hand, he held his shotgun and fired a shot right at Riku's face. The target stepped sidewards and stabbed Yuffie as she tried to hit him. She dropped to the floor, dead before she could feel more pain.

"Hehehe," Reno said as he opened a chute from the back of the helicopter. A dozen Cait Sith models jumped at Riku, to be cut right through their torsos before they even landed. Cloud took the opportunity to strike from Riku's head, but was blocked once more.

"Give up, Cloud. We both know that you can't live without JENOVA."

"Oh really?" he said as he took one blade out and slashed at Riku, who shifted his blade to block the other one.

"Right after you had her forced out of you, you still had enough strength to defeat me." Riku was changing- his hair was growing longer, and the Souba was fusing into one blade, absorbing all of the souls lost that day. "But now that's changed! I won't toy around with you, or anyone else for that matter! I know. I'll just keep you happy as I would have back then, in Midgar!I give you death! You have asked for it." The Masamune cut right through Cloud's defenses, and slipped under the blade.

Multicolored lights danced from Cloud's sword as he spoke the last words to come out of his mouth. The lights faded, as all hope for the Planet had just that moment. Minerva was as good as dead, in the hands of its dying protectors.

"You will die." With that, he slumped over and died.

"I wonder who'll do that?" Sephiroth asked, as the Turks, along with Tifa and Aerith, surrounded. "This? The Turks? Your last two friends? That dog has fled, not at all honoring his father."

"Flare! Ultima!" Aerith cast simultaneously at Sephiroth as Tifa rushed toward her death. She was stabbed, along with a certain Turk.

"Reno!" Rude shouted.

"I always did like you," he said with his last breath.

"Hast, Protect, Shell, Regen!" she cast all at the same time towards all of them. Though even with this force, nobody can stand up to Sephiroth when he's not toying around. Aerith was the first to go, followed by Rufus, then Cissnei, Reno, Elena, and finally, Tseng.

"It's time you went and died for the last time, you bastard."

Sora stood before Sephiroth, with Nanaki running away to contact the only one with a chance against Sephiroth.

"A child? Holding the First Tsurugi? Going against me?"

"I can still beat you, Sephiroth! You're not Riku. I should have known."

"Do you want to die as your father did? As your mother did? What about as the girl did? She is Minerva's martial will and prowess; I will not let her pass as easily. You will have the dishonor of not dying by my hand. There shall be many more you can face before me." With that, Sephiroth revealed his black wing, and took off into the night sky, unseen by the many towns he would slaughter- as would have OMEGA weapon.

"That bastard, where is he?"

"Uncle Vincent?"

"Yeah, yeah. I can still heal all wounds given to me by anything. Hurts like anything you could think of, though."

"What happened while I was out?"

"You were out after I was, weren't you?"

"Oh yeah. So." Sora looked around, turning to see for other survivors. Nobody still lived. Vincent put his hand in his pocket and withdrew his phone.

"Reeve. Get me and Sora here right to your home, ASAP."

"Wait, I see something!" Sora said, to cover his intention. He fled into the plains outside Costa del Sol, and looked into the sky, his ears streaming from his eyes.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh! This wasn't the way it was supposed to be! Why is it like this?"

"Yes, well, that's not only for you. My life was sort of like this before," Vincent said. "There's no need for you to shout. New enemies approach the world, in the form of Sephiroth's newest monstrosity- the Corrupts."

"The Corrupts?"

"Corrupted- that's where the name came from- souls of the Lifestream. They're like a person with Geostigma that died of it. Only they're feral and they plead for the injustice of their new torment. Only we can release them. You'll also need these. Your mother and father said that when they died, one would find these two special materia on them. I need to get going and stop Sephiroth myself. His very existence is my fault." With that, Vincent turned into some kind of red mist and flew into the night.

Sora grasped them in his hands. They shone with power, and as he held them, part of the Lifestream escaped from them, going into him.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Yup, we're here with you, Sora," Cloud's voice resounded in his head.

"We won't leave you until we need to. Or are forced to," Aerith added.

"Now, just put us in your belt and let's be on the way," Cloud said.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, your mother and I are crystallized into these materia you hold now. The Lifestream is being corrupted as we speak, and if we are corrupted, what else could go wrong? Genesis is in no condition to fight."

"So, we only have to go and get Denzel and Marlene. To think that all this happened on their wedding day. Cloud, how did you know this would happen?" Aerith asked.

"Well, it would be because Minerva would never dare approach me after what I did to her to get you back, implying that she needed my help a lot. In any case, we need to get going if we want to stop Sephiroth." With this, they went back to town and reached into the newlywed's room, fetched them, and journeyed to stop Sephiroth themselves.


End file.
